At its study session meeting on Monday, the City Council discussed the future of two proposed road projects in the Wilburton area after property owners rejected the establishment of a local improvement district (LID) to help pay for them.

In early March, the council established a "Wilburton Connections" LID to partially fund the extension of Northeast Fourth Street, from 116th to 120th Avenue Northeast, and improvements to 120th Avenue Northeast, from Northeast Fourth to Northeast Sixth streets.

In an LID, property owners who benefit from a public project are asked to pay a proportionate share of the costs through assessments.

During a 30-day protest period ending April 6, property owners representing approximately 70 percent of the value of preliminary assessments of properties in the LID boundary filed written protests with the city. Since the protest exceeded the needed 60 percent threshold, the LID is unable to proceed.

The Wilburton Connections LID was expected to fund approximately 15 percent, or $6.78 million, of the $45.4 million total estimated cost of the two projects. At its next meeting on April 18, the council will likely study its options for funding the work, and have a broader discussion on the future of the city’s other capital projects.

Council considers property request from Boys & Girls Clubs of BellevueAlso on Monday, the council learned about a request from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue to construct a new, "flagship" community center on city-owned property north of downtown

The BGCB, a nonprofit organization with 14 sites throughout the city including one downtown that has been its main facility since 1952, is interested in a four-acre park property at the corner of Northeast 20th Street and Bellevue Way.

Kathy Haggart, BGCB president/CEO, said her organization has outgrown its current downtown "clubhouse," and seeks to build a new facility on property that could accommodate multiple gymnasiums and program spaces.

The city purchased the land, known as the Chapin property, in 1986 for future park use, but there are no funds or plans at this time for the property. The BGCB's proposed 45,000-square-foot complex at the location could help the city meet a target in its Parks and Open Space System Plan for a community recreation center for every 25,000 residents, distributed throughout the city.

To compensate the city for the land, the BGCB could lease or buy the property, offer property in return and/or provide in-kind services. Council members asked staff to formulate several options and bring them back to the council for further review in the next several months.

"It sounds as though there is a great deal of interest," said Mayor Davidson. "We do have some process to go through, and neighborhoods are involved … Having them participate in shaping something like this would be important," he said.